W. Edwards Deming Quotes

Inspection with the aim of finding the bad ones and throwing them out is too late, ineffective, and costly. Quality comes not from inspection but from improvement of the process.

The "patron saint" of Japanese quality control, ironically, is an American named W. Edwards Deming, who was virtually unknown in his own country until his ideas of quality control began to make such a big impact on Japanese companies.

The principles and methods for improvement are the same for service as for manufacturing. The actual application differs, of course, from one product to another, and from one type of service to another.

Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for inspection on a mass basis by building quality into the product in the first place.

We cannot rely on mass inspection to improve quality, though there are times when 100 percent inspection is necessary. As Harold S. Dodge said many years ago, 'You cannot inspect quality into a product.' The quality is there or it isn't by the time it's inspected.

For much of Toyota's history, we have ensured the quality and reliability of our vehicles by placing a device called an andon cord on every production line - and empowering any team member to halt production if there's an assembly problem. Only when the problem is resolved does the line begin to move again.

Almost all quality improvement comes via simplification of design, manufacturing... layout, processes, and procedures.

Quality isn't a thing. It is an event.

Quality management is needed because nothing is simple anymore, if indeed it ever was.

It is in Toyota's DNA that mistakes made once will not be repeated.

Quality has to be caused, not controlled.

To me, error analysis is the sweet spot for improvement.

Quality will save our company.

It's impossible to have zero defects.

We are constantly reviewing our processes to identify areas where we can learn and improve.

Detect and fix any problem in a production process at the lowest stage possible.

Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service, to improve quality and productivity, and thus constantly decrease costs.

Six Sigma is a quality program that, when all is said and done, improves your customers' experience, lowers your costs, and builds better leaders.

Deliver total quality to every customer every day.

The cost of quality is the expense of doing things wrong.

Quality is free. It's not a gift, but it's free. The 'unquality' things are what cost money.

Uncontrolled variation is the enemy of quality.

Quality is everyone's responsibility.

Quality is easy to talk but hard to make.

The long and short of it is, we need more rigor in all kinds of programs.